Following the deaths of two young children in 2014 alone, Swedish furniture brand, IKEA, has been forced to offer a fix for their popular MALM dresser.
Due to balance problems, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has confirmed that there have been five deaths since its release in 1989 due to ‘crush injuries’, wherein the drawer has lost balance and fatally pinned those in range.
In response, IKEA has released a new initiative to ensure the drawers are secured.
Instead of a traditional recall – which would indeed difficult considering there are more than 27 million chests worldwide – IKEA has advised customers in possession of a MALM drawer to pick up a free “Secure It” kit.
The kit, which includes screws and tools in order to fix the drawers to the wall, is free at any IKEA store, as well as online.
But not all are happy with these measures. Those renting their houses, and those who don’t have traditional walls, are claiming that the IKEA are not employing serious enough measures to ensure the safety of their products.
In the meantime, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has advised those in possession of a MALM dresser to “immediately stop using” any children’s dresser taller than 23 1/2″ or adult dresser/drawers taller than 29 1/2″, unless they are firmly secured.
This move comes after two toddlers were killed in the US in 2014.
